The holidays are here, which means many of your meals will be enjoyed with family and friends. It also means a lot of travel for some, which can also lead to bad food. You probably already have plenty of easy dinner recipes, but what about finding good food on the road? Follow these tips to make sure you don’t find yourself underwhelmed during your holiday travels this year.

Preparation is key

There are two ways to eat well while travelling: Being spontaneous or making a detailed plan beforehand. The former used to be harder when all you had to rely on were suggestions from locals or the concierge. They might have sent you in the right direction, but what if your taste didn’t match theirs? Nowadays, technology makes it easy to find great food almost anywhere. If you’re a smartphone user, there are many apps like Yelp and Urbanspoon that also have web versions, so you can also plan ahead if you don’t feel like researching on the go. Crowdsourcing is the surefire way to make sure you dine at tried and true restaurants during your travels.

Leftover goodness

Homemade goodies can still fit into your travel plan, even leftovers. Holiday food is almost as good on the go as it was straight from the oven. Thanksgiving food is perfect for the road. Make a turkey sandwich with cranberry spread. Pumpkin pie is as good chilled as it is warm.

Create a balance

When you’re traveling, it’s easy to get stuck in the same routine, so use the holidays as inspiration to keep the rest of your travels more balanced. You’re naturally going to be eating more home-cooked food around this time of year. There’s no reason you can’t make that happen the rest of the year. Make a New Year’s resolution to find lodging with a kitchenette and start making your own food while on the go!

New York City with Kids by Meryl Pearlstein

Plan your trip to New York City easily with detailed maps, kids admission prices, family-friendly hotel amenities, and lists of the best things to see and do in every neighborhood -- all kid-friendly and lots of fun.